Golf club head with dimpled surfaces

ABSTRACT

A new method for manufacturing hollow golf club heads is presented where the metal of the upper and lower club surfaces is impressed with regular dimples in a geometric pattern. The dimpling of the metal confers additional structural strength to the club head, permitting reduction in the weight of metal in the club head per unit of strength. 
     The club also has improved aerodynamic characteristics during the golf swing and because of the reduced amount of surface area contacting the ground, reduced friction with the ground upon contacting the ball.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to golf equipment and golf equipment manufacturing

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention addresses a current trend in design for golf clubs with hollow heads, in particular drivers and fairway metal woods. It is the current rend to reduce the weight of the hollow club head by using lightweight metals for head construction without reducing the structural strength of the club head or club face.

Hollow metal heads are used broadly as wood type golf club heads for drivers or fairway woods. Generally, a wood type hollow golf club head has a face portion for hitting a ball, a crown portion forming the top surface portion of the golf club head, a sole portion forming the bottom surface portion of the golf club head, a side portion forming the toe-side, rear-side and heel-side side surface portions of the golf club head, or golf club head skirt, and a hosel portion.

Traditional metal wood and driver golf club heads have been made of aluminum and steel, but new metals such as titanium and magnesium have been used recently. The newer metals have superior hardness and structural strength per unit of weight, and, depending on their manufacturing technique, golf club heads using the new metals can retain their customary size and strength while experiencing a significant weight reduction.

When a hollow golf club head is increased in volume, its sweet spot can be expanded. One of the techniques to prevent the golf club head from increasing in weight with the increase of its volume is to increase the tensile strength of the material comprising the golf club head itself. In this case, the face surface for hitting a ball has to be made of smooth metal in order to secure strength. The remainder of the golf club head can be other than a smooth surface, if that confers additional club head strength.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is an approach that is independent of the metal used for the golf club head construction. It is applicable to any sufficiently strong metal or alloy.

The invention is a quilting or dimpling process that results in a thin skin of metal with a regular quilt pattern, each quilt shape, rectangular or triangular, or potentially hexagonal, possessing a depressed interior. The combinations of the regular geometric pattern and the dimples produces a stronger and more rigid

There are variations of this invention in use for other thin metal applications, such as soda cans or aircraft wings. A typical soda can implementation of this principle produces a quilted appearance on the sides of the can. The quilting pattern is roughly rectangular with a shallow dimple in the middle of each rectangle.

The present invention applies the same principle to the upper and lower surfaces of a driver or fairway metal golf club head. The upper surface of such a club is normally smooth and unbroken. The bottom surface often has a sole plate, but may also be smooth.

With this invention, the upper surface of the club head is quilted in a pattern comprised of a plurality of triangles or rectangles. Within each geometrical shape is a shallow depressed area or dimple.

The purpose of the present invention is to improve the structural strength of hollow golf club heads while retaining the same weight of metal comprising the head. Alternatively, this invention can be applied to produce a head with the same strength as the head it replaces, but with a smaller weight of metal.

It is expected that golf clubs produced with the present invention will experience reduced friction with the ground when striking the ball during a swing. This reduced ground contact should result in reduced wear on the club head.

There should be improvements in aerodynamic efficiency for the golf club head as it passes through the air during a golf swing. These are as yet unmeasured, but anticipated.

OBJECTIVES OF THE PRESENT INVENTION

The objective of the present invention is to provide a methodology for manufacturing hollow golf club heads with improved strength and reduced weight.

A further objective of this invention is to make the methodology easy and cost-efficient to use.

A further objective of the present invention is to allow the methodology to be implemented with lightweight materials, suitable for the construction of golf club heads.

A further objective of the present invention is to permit all types of head shapes and sizes to be supported by this methodology.

It is a further objective of this invention to provide a golf club head manufacturing methodology that produces a club that makes reduced contact with the ground upon striking the ball, thereby decreasing friction and damage to the club

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1. Perspective view of the invention on the top of a club head

FIG. 2. Perspective view of the invention on the bottom of a club head

FIG. 3. Cross-section view of the surface of the club

DETAILED SPECIFICATION

As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the present invention 100 is comprised of a typical hollow golf club head 101 with a top surface 102 and bottom surface 103 manufactured in such a way that there is a regular dimpling pattern on each surface. Note that the club head sides 105 and the club face 106 do not bear the dimpling pattern of this invention.

The dimpling is depicted in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 as being constructed of a plurality of regular triangles 110, with a plurality of depressions 111 in the metal of the club 101. These depressions are depicted as roughly triangular in shape, but in an alternate embodiment can also be rounded at the bottom.

The metal of the golf club 101 can be manufactured in this mode by means of casting, with the dimpling pattern in the mold, or by forging, where the metal of the top surface 102 and the bottom surface 103 is stamped into the desired dimpling pattern.

While the foregoing describes a preferred mode and an alternate embodiment, variation on this design and equivalent methods may be resorted to in the scope and spirit of the claimed invention. 

1. a golf club head with dimpled surfaces, the golf club head comprised of a hitting surface, a head top, a head bottom, and a head side, the head top and head bottom each possessing a surface with a plurality of dimples impressed upon it, the hitting surface and the head side otherwise smooth with no dimples.
 2. The golf club head of claim 1, where the golf club head is comprised of a metal selected from the group of aluminum, magnesium, titanium, and steel.
 3. The golf club head of claim 1 where the plurality of dimples on the surface of the head top and the head bottom are arranged in a regular pattern.
 4. The golf club head of claim 3 where the regular pattern is chosen to confer strength in resisting lateral force to the head top and head bottom.
 5. The golf club head of claim 3 where the regular pattern is chosen to confer strength in resisting lateral force to the head top and head bottom and the regular pattern is also chosen to confer aerodynamic properties to the golf club head when the golf club is swung. 